Arizona State Thespian Festival

large view Phoenix Convention Center

The Arizona State Thespian Society will be hosting their annual high school theatre festival, on November 20-21, 2009 at the Phoenix Convention Center. The theme this year is:

Registration deadline is October 9, 2009

Why should we attend? Last year over 20 Colleges, Conservatories and Universities dedicated to the service of the academic theatre community offered many scholarships to students in attendance. Besides college auditioning experience, students have the opportunity to train with some of the countries leading professionals in Acting, Directing, Play writing, and Technical Theatre. The conference also affords students the opportunity to watch professional theatrical productions and main stage presentations produced by area high school and university theatre programs.

How much does the Festival cost?

The Festival registration fee for Thespians is $60 per student, non-Thespians $70.00, sponsor's and chaperones are $25.00. The registration fee covers the cost of student admission to the festival, workshops and performances. The registration fee does not cover the cost of your hotel room or food. There are numerous area restaurants where troupes usually go to partake of their meals.  Other fees apply to events such as IE’s, Tech Olympics, and auditions. , Please see details on all additional forms.

Where do we send our conference registration fees?

Mail a copy of all your paperwork to: Linda Phillips at Agua Fria High School, 530 E. Riley Dr. Avondale, AZ 85323

What is the conference deadline and how do you make changes to your registration after you have registered? 

The deadline for the festival is October 9, 2009.  You can register after the deadline but you will be charged a late registration fee of $100.00. Late registrants cannot participate in Individual Events Showcase or Scholarship Auditions.  If you make changes after the deadline date there will be a $10.00 fee per change added to your registration invoice and due upon registration at festival.

Is there supervision at the festival? Schools attending are required to provide chaperones to supervise their own group and Arizona Thespians provides security in and around the Plaza.  Schools are strongly recommended to bring one sponsor per twelve students attending the conference. Each school district should carry liability insurance for each participant in attendance.

What time should our school arrive and depart from Festival? Registration will be open from 9:00 am- 1:00pm on Friday Nov. 20.  Early workshops will begin at 9:30am and run through the day. Please see the schedule for more details. Welcoming ceremonies begin at 1:00pm and all schools are encouraged to be registered and seated at that time. Sponsors need to attend a mandatory meeting at 12:15 p.m. so plan to arrive prior to this time. Closing ceremonies will conclude at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov 22.

How many events can a troupe register for? Students may participate in one Individual Event and we will do everything in our power to avoid conflicts with the Scholarship Auditions. Each school may submit written plays for the Playworks event, and each school can bring a One Act play, a Cancellation of a One Act after the published deadline incurs a $250 room charge and your school will be ineligible to bring a one-act the following year. In addition, there will be numerous workshops for students to attend.  

How are schools or individuals selected for the Showcase Presentation on Saturday? Any participant in the Individual Events (I.E.'s ) may be selected to present their piece in the "Critics Choice" presentation on Saturday Evening.  The judges in each category select the best presentations for this event.

Where do we send our Scholarship Audition applications?  You send them along with your registration materials to Linda Phillips at Agua Fria High School.  Remember to make 25 copies of your resume and each resume needs a picture in the upper right hand corner. 

 Refund and Cancellation Policy

No refunds granted for registered Thespians and/or their affiliated schools after the registration is closed. Schools are responsible for the full amount of their conference registration after the submission of said registration. Payment for conference registration should be made after your school is invoiced.  Any student and/or school registered for the Arizona State Thespian Festival on/or after the posted registration date will be subject to any and all fees incurred including but not limited to Registration fees, Individual Events fees and Senior University Audition fees. If a student fails to attend the annual conference for any reason, there is no refund for any and all fees paid. Registered schools and sponsors are responsible for any and all fees incurred and not paid by their troupe, sponsors, students and attendees, including any legal fees or court costs involved in collecting the conference registration.

For out-of-towners, please see the local hotel list for accommodations under the registration tool bar on the left.

76 schools attend

More than 1800 students/troupe directors/chaperones

More than 118 workshop sessions

We had 66 Workshop Presenters

15 colleges/universities represented

A talent agency attended looking for talented students for movies

Teen Magazine came to take pictures for a story in their magazine

68 college auditions

225+ participated in Individual Events

$3300.00 dollars given in college scholarships

18 hours of Festival fun!

$600.00 raised for Broadway Cares!

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